Conon EOS7D

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Malcolmx

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Malcolm
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As a retirement present at the end of last year I was bought a Canon EOS7d. Whilst I have always had a passing interest in photography I have very little knowledge.The automatic and creative automatic modes on my camera suit most of my need but I could with knowing how to set the camera up to take fast action shots in what, on occasions , may ne low light conditions.....can anyone help please?

Thanks in anticipation

Malcolm
 
Read the manual would be a good start, then buy a book or two on photography and learn about how shutter speed, aperture and ISO all interact with eachother.
The 7D is not a beginner camera, so it assumes that you know at least the basics.

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is a good read to get you started. Im sure other people will come in with thier own suggestions too.

These are worth a read too

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=158332

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=154225

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=258907

For low light fast action, the main concern is the lenses. You'll need a wide aperture lens and raise the ISO on the camera in order to get a faster shutter speed to freeze the action. Without knowing your lens set up, its harder to give anything but generic advice.
 
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Thanks Tom......and I know reading the manual is the right idea but as you say its not a begiiners camera and I am probably ignorant of many of the basics.....but I do appreciate your response. The lens is Canon EFS15-85MM....


Malcolm
 
Hi Malcolm and welcome to the forums. :)
The 15-85 is quite slow, particularly at the 85mm range giving a maximum aperture of f/5.6. This will hinder you in getting fast action in any light, let alone low light situations. Your only choice (other than buying a faster lens) will be to increase the ISO rating on your camera. The 7D has excellent high ISO but even so, may struggle. It depends I suppose, on how low the light levels are and how fast the action is!
I would strongly recommend the reading material suggested and also the manual. Read a bit at a time, so you are not trying to absorb everything at once. It really is not that difficult to understand. Make sure you have your camera with you so you can see where all the controls are located and then practise, practise...
Good luck.
 
What exactly is it you will be shooting? We may be able to suggest a lens or ballpark settings to help you get what you are after.
 
happy haggis said:
Hi Malcolm and welcome to the forums. :)
The 15-85 is quite slow, particularly at the 85mm range giving a maximum aperture of f/5.6. This will hinder you in getting fast action in any light, let alone low light situations. Your only choice (other than buying a faster lens) will be to increase the ISO rating on your camera. The 7D has excellent high ISO but even so, may struggle. It depends I suppose, on how low the light levels are and how fast the action is!
I would strongly recommend the reading material suggested and also the manual. Read a bit at a time, so you are not trying to absorb everything at once. It really is not that difficult to understand. Make sure you have your camera with you so you can see where all the controls are located and then practise, practise...
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Trevor,
Terms like Fast Lens and Slow lens will be totally alien to Malcolm until he has a little more experience. No disrepect to Malcolm but he needs basic layman language to begin with.

What Trevor means by Fast and Slow lens is that the maximum light that the lens will allow into the camera will restrict how fast a shutter speed you can select to achieve a correctly exposed image. The specific area he was pointing out was the maximum aperture. ie the widest the lens will open to allow light on to the sensor, Then the wider the lens will open, the faster the shutter speed you will be able to select. This is what he meant by Fast and Slow lens. I'm not 100% sure but I think the lens in question has a maximum aperture of f/3.5. A typically Fast Lens will have a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or a lower f/ number. This indicates the widest the lens will open. The lower the number the wider the lens will open. Generally speaking, the lower the F/number the more expensive the lens.

Enjoy, Its a great pastime.
 
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Thanks to everyone for their replies.....very helpful and much appreciated. The fast action I wanted to shoot would be greyhound/Whippet races sometimes in daylight conditions and sometimes under artifical light. Can anyone recommend a lens that would be suitable?......and as I have already said the input you have given me is at least giving me an insight into the problem. .....and you are right Tug I had no idea what a fast or slow lens is.....but Ive a fair idea now

Malcolm
 
How close to the action will you be? Are you a punter in the stands or special access trackside?

This could be the difference between a £300 lens and a £3000 lens.

This is extreme obviously, but a long length "fast" lens, costs big money. If you are way up in the stalls and want close ups of the dogs, you'll need something long and fast. If you can get close then you wont need something quite as long which (usually) reduces cost.
 
it would be fairly close to the action Tom and certainly within 30metres or so at worst.


Malcolm
 
In that case, something like the Canon 70-200 f/4 might be a good buy. The f/2.8 version would be preferable, but thats serious money.

Im no longer a Canon shooter and only had a few lenses, so other people will be more familiar with other options.
You could of course hire a lens or two for the event (is this a one off or ongoing thing?) and see what sort of focal length works best and then make a more sensible decision. Also if it isnt crucial you get the shots on the first attempt, you can try it with your exisiting lens and see how you get on.

You'll need to raise the ISO to at least 800, and raise it further as the light gets worse. I'd stick with Av mode and set the lowest number for the aperture.
 
I'd agree that 70-200 f/2.8L sounds like the best option here. Due to the fast shutter speeds required the IS option wouldn't be necessary though so it's not as expensive as it could be.
 
Really appreciate the advice...all the advice but particularly Toms...... I will have the opportunity this Sunday under hopefully bright daylight conditions. I will try it as Tom says IN AV Mode and set the lowest number for the aperture and stick with the current lens at least for now though I think getting one of the two suggested might be the better option.....and at the risk of boring you proffesionals I will let you know how I go on

Thanks very much


Malcolm
 
I'm certainly no pro! Look forward to seeing how you get on!!
 
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